1 research outputs found
Environmental and Health Benefits from Designating the Marmara Sea and the Turkish Straits as an Emission Control Area (ECA)
Ship
emissions degrade air quality and affect human health, and
are increasingly becoming a matter of concern. Sulfur emission control
areas (ECA), specific coastal regions where only low-sulfur fuels
may be consumed by ocean-going ships, have proven to be useful tools
to reduce ship-sourced air pollution along the North American, Canadian,
and European North and Baltic Sea coastlines. The present work assesses
the environmental and health benefits which would derive from designating
an ECA in the Marmara Sea and the Turkish Straits (50 000 ships/year;
23 million inhabitants). Results show evidence that implementing an
ECA would be technically viable and that it would reduce ship-sourced
PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> ambient concentrations in Istanbul
by 67%, and SO<sub>2</sub> by 90%. The reduction of the air pollution
burden on health was quantified as 210 hospital admissions from exposure
to PM<sub>10</sub>, 290 hospital admissions from exposure to SO<sub>2</sub>, and up to 30 premature deaths annually due to ECA emission
controls. Consequently, the designation of an ECA in the Marmara Sea
and the Turkish Straits is evaluated as a positive, technically viable
and real-world measure to reduce air pollution from ships in Turkey